on average, the state and federal government allocate over $9,000 per pupil in california. that is less than half of what the state of new york spends on its students. but getting more money for schools often means asking local voters to increase their own taxes. for example, the city of berkeley raises more than $3,000 per pupil in extra funds. other school districts have had similar success in the bay area. schools in poorer districts, though, don't have parents who can afford that. >> affluent communities are counting on parcel taxes and passing local bonds to improve the quality of their school facilities. but again, these are not options available to a lot of middle class and blue collar communities. >> reporter: in an economic climate where budgets are tight and dollars are short, consider this. nearly 50% of inmates nationwide are high school dropouts. last year, the state cut funding for prisons by more than $4 billion. the state prison population has gone down, as well. much thanks to prisoner realignment which has been transferring prisonerscounty jails. but the s